This invention relates to electric trolling motors for fishing boats, and particularly to an improved foot control for steering and regulating the speed of a trolling motor.
Originally electric foot operated trolling motors have been made with a foot control high off the boat deck and similar to a see saw effect, toe and heel movement on the pedal requiring the leg to be bent and foot off the floor for long periods of time causing discomfort and the operator to be off balance. Most pivotal foot pedals required a short degree of turning radius to turn the trolling motor a fall 360 degrees, making it difficult to determine the direction of the boat, causing a fisherman to guess at how much correction to make for the boat. Further, the on-off switches were located to the side or directly under the foot, causing a constant twisting of the foot on the pedal, which in turn adversely affected the steering. Some foot controls can only be approached by the foot of operator from the back, and in order for a fisherman to fish a different direction in the boat, the foot control had to be moved and/or repositioned in that direction. The speed selectors in prior art were small or had poor access making them difficult to select or see the speed selection desired.
Therefore, a more comfortable solution has been sought after in prior alt but the combination of the right components has been difficult.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,070 to Clement (Jan. 7, 1992) discloses a rotary type foot control in which the actual control is done electrically rather than through a gear or cable arrangement. This system has a foot turning ratio of short degree to that of the trolling motor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,820 to Rayborn (Oct. 23, 1990) discloses a trolling motor foot control for rotary movement which is flush with floor and is mounted into deck of a boat. This arrangement requires a fisherman to concentrate on a horizontal as well as a vertical movement of the foot pedal, and it presents the danger that an operator could unintentionally step into the recessed cavity and lose his or her balance. In order to achieve a low profile, this system also requires cutting into the boat deck, which is not desired by most boat owners. Furthermore, this system can only be operated from the rear of the foot pedal.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,307 to Burgess (Mar. 1, 1988) discloses a low profile foot control for trolling motors in which a rotary disk is used to steer the motor with a desired turning ratio of one to one to that of the trolling motor. In this system, the trolling motor shaft projects through the boat hull therefore not allowing it to be mounted on most existing boats.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,295,385 to Huttenhow (Oct. 20, 1981) discloses a control for moving a trolling motor, the control having a low profile and including a rotatable plate adapted to move a cable system connected to a trolling motor. In this system, the operator's foot does not contact floor, causing operator to be off balance. The operator's foot also has no operational contact with an on-off switch or speed control to allow a fisherman to fish with both hands on his or her fishing pole.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,527,983 to J. N. Booth (Jul. 9, 1985) discloses a foot control system for an electric trolling motor which includes a housing box 30 having a rotary disk 37 attached to a shaft that moves up and down to activate the on-off switch 45 for turning the motor on and off. In this system, to achieve a low profile, it must be built into the deck of the boat shown in FIG. 8 of its drawings. Furthermore, in this system, it is difficult for operator to maneuver his or her foot around the comers of a box housing to access rotary disk. The speed control in this system is difficult to operate in that it is mounted below and to one side of foot plate and is difficult to access from plural sides. A further problem of this prior art system is that the rotary disk or foot plate has a short degree of turning ratio to achieve a 360 degree turn of trolling motor. This requires the foot to have excess downward pressure so that the foot won't slip on the foot plate when the trolling motor is trying to be rotated. A further problem of this prior art system is that the forward portion of the foot must be lifted each time the on-off switch is disengaged, causing fisherman to either hold his foot up or to remove it from the rotary disk. In addition, this system is expensive and complex and is difficult to operate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,902 to Havins (Aug. 8, 1989) discloses an electrically operated steering system for a boat comprising a foot control with a pivotable cam disk and a plurality of cam operated switches which activate the electrical circuitry of the control system. A motor speed control may also be located in the controller. This device is disadvantageous in that it does not provide a positive correlation between the position of the foot control and the steering direction of the trolling motor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,526 to Cook, III (Dec. 10, 1996) discloses a trolling motor with an electrically operated steering positioning motor and a direction indicator mounted on top of the motor. No details of how the steering position motor is controlled are given. The location of the direction indicator on top of the motor is inconvenient in that it requires a fisherman to divert his attention from his fishing activities and turn around and look at the motor to determine the direction the trolling motor is pointed.
Thus it can be seen that despite the extensive efforts of the prior art, there has remained a need for more convenient foot controls for trolling motors which can be fitted to any type of boat or motor without major modification of the boat and which can be used by an operator from any direction while maintaining a comfortable position.